I grow elderberries in two different varieties. Pictured is Black Beauty with delicate tiny pink star-shaped flowers on long deep purple stems. These just happened to blossom a little later in the season than my other white flowered variety so I grabbed them!

It is the pollen on elderflowers that is desirable and I highly advise picking the top flowers early in the morning while it is still a little chilly and before the bees start buzzing around. Elderflowers, when they start to loose their bloom, smell a little like pee (it’s true though, sorry!) and you don’t want any sort hint of that in your ice cream, so make sure you are picking fresh flowers that have not peaked yet. You only need five large flower clusters for this recipe, so leave some for the busy bees and of course for the berries later in the summer!

The leaves, stems and berries of both red and black elderberry species contain cyanide-inducing glycosides which can cause a toxic buildup of cyanide in the body. When using elderflowers, be sure to remove them from all but that smallest stem attachments to keep these toxins out of your food. As long as elderflower and elderberry are cooked, they are edible.

Because it’s really the pollen you want along with the flower itself, it is a good idea to infuse the flowers and cold cream together for 2-3 hours before making this traditional vanilla ice ream recipe. If using the Black Beauty variety, remove the flowers completely from the stem as the purple color will make the ice cream a little dingy looking and also to lower the risk of toxic buildup too of course.

You can always dehydrate some too for later use too, but I do think the fresh flowers and fresh pollen are better for this recipe. Nonetheless, place them on your trays for drying if desired or if you want to save some for a later use.

The base of this ice cream is a crème anglais or custard, so yes there are eggs in it. This is a rich old fashioned tasting vanilla ice cream recipe that is easy to whip up and also easy to add whatever flavors you want. If you are looking for a vegan or eggless variety, you can still use the elderflowers in the same way.

Spoon this ice cream over hot peach pie, or serve it with a strawberry sundae! Happy Fourth of July friends!

The post Elderflower Ice Cream first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Hey, these are important things to know!

The answer to all of our questions came back a resounding YES!

This Meyer lemon ice cream is custard based made with 6 egg yolks, so it is creamy and rich tasting but it packs an awesome puckery punch from the Meyer lemons too. My kids love anything sweet n’ sour probably because they are a little sweet n’ sour themselves (oh just kidding, they’re perfect, really) and this recipe balances both extremes.

I have served this ice cream in two different restaurants and it is always a hit. I don’t normally serve it with chocolate waffle cones, but my kids demanded chocolate (recipe coming next) and I thought: “Well, hmmmm, could work, why not?” Meyer Lemons are sweeter than other varieties since they were originally crossed with an orange. I do like orange and chocolate together, so Meyer lemons are not a far stretch.

This ice cream, is also lovely on its own or served with a simple cookie. If you are a lemon lover, especially a Meyer lemon lover like me (yes, I’ve been known to actually eat them off the tree) then this recipe should be in your repertoire.

A side note, the real custard base of this recipe, before the addition of Meyer lemon juice, is also good on its own. It is a true custard with no cornstarch. The lemon zest gives it a gentle lemony flavor and kids really like it. If you have a little one in your tribe who likes custard you can use the first part of the recipe for an easy sweet treat and add whatever flavoring you like.

The post Meyer Lemon Ice Cream first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.